Voice is one of our strongest ‘weapons’ when it comes to expressing emotion – something that is not without risk and can make us feel vulnerable or upset people. Except in music, where it is the link that connects audiences and performers. Some singers are able to precisely reflect feelings that are securely locked away in many hearts, and thereby provide a kind of release, a way out of loneliness, if only for a short time. Pa Sheehy (38), who will play Connolly’s of Leap with a small band on November 15 during his Irish autumn tour, is a prime example. In the show notes that accompany the gig, his voice is described as “heartfelt”. Reviewers and fans use words like resonant, soul-stirring, bruised, “hypnotic…I’m actually addicted” (a fan). When Pa sings about (lost, elusive) love – often – his face on video is expressive, weathered, a bit wrinkled, introverted, eyes cast down. His voice soars or dwindles to almost a whisper, still vibrating with unfettered emotion. No mask in sight. Yet, this is not uncomfortable, as his emotion is never out of control. It is embedded in and supported by melodic structures that evoke musical landscapes in the mind writes Moze Jacobs.
Born, bred and living in Dingle, Pa Sheehy used to be the lead singer of ‘Walking on Cars’, a remarkable Indie pop band that rode a wave of success for over 10 years (between 2010 and 2020).
His family wasn’t big into music but he was drawn to it from when he was a child. “I was always singing along with whatever was on the radio and in my teenage years, we started a little rock band in school. I didn’t play an instrument then, so during our first rehearsal there was the drummer, the bass player, and the guitar player, and they threw a lyric book at me. It was the first time I ever wrote a song. I was about 13.”
Fast forward nine years and Pa and four other people he had known since childhood and played with at local venues, “we were kind of the only musicians in our age group”, became very serious about forming a band. Together, they moved into a secluded house. Quite a radical step. All they did (it is said) was write songs. “A couple of friends staying in a little cottage with no huge pressure on us at all. We were on the dole, so we had a bit of freedom to make music and not worry about other things for a couple of years. We wrote some cool tunes. It was just an uncomplicated time in our lives without any expectations and we were living very simply.” One of their songs was ‘Speeding Cars’ and the band eventually called itself ‘Walking on Cars’. Nobody knows why, exactly. The drummer came up with it and it stuck. Maybe it was its very incongruity (who walks on cars?) that made the name memorable.
The band’s self-released first single, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ (2012) was played on radio, attracted a fan base, and gained them national popularity. Three years later it was re-released by an official record label, Virgin EMI /RCA and appeared on their debut album, ‘Everything This Way’, which reached the top spot on the Irish Albums Chart in 2016 and stayed there for three weeks. Perhaps their best-known single was ‘Speeding Cars’ (2015). It gave them international recognition, has by now had over 52 million views on YouTube and been streamed 117 million times. More singles followed, tours of Europe, Australia. They played large venues and festivals, gave interviews, did radio, TV. Quite the career.
Pa Sheehy thinks that part of their “expansion” may have been due to management. “To be fair, we had a brilliant UK-based manager. Actually, they were a duo and they orchestrated it really, really well. They had a lot of clout in the industry and, because of it, we started making bigger moves.”
Walking on Cars also tried to break through in America. That didn’t go so well. “A friend of the managers was the A&R (Artists and Repertoire) at Capital Records in the US, a huge label. We were so excited, convinced this was our big chance. The entire band went out to America for two weeks to do a promo trip. And then we spent 10 out of the 14 days sitting by the pool in LA. Nice holiday, but nothing came of it. Before we had made it to America, our contact person was fired. So basically, the ship had sunk before we even got there. A classic record industry drama.” It was one of the signs that the tide was turning. “For a while, everything was wonderful but making our second album was a big hurdle,” shares Pa. “There was a new manager, our guitarist had left the band. We were dropped by the label. A lot of our time was wasted in meetings with lawyers about contracts and rights and the album wasn’t a commercial success compared to the first one. Then Covid hit. We went our separate ways.”
Ever since, Pa has been pursuing his own career. To date, he has produced ten singles, three EPs and an album, ‘Maybe It Was All For This’ (2024). “Once the band finished, going solo felt like the natural next step. I knew I had creative energy and there were songs to come out of me.”
But things have changed. For the better, as far as his personal life is concerned. “A lot of Walking on Cars songs were based on sadness and break-ups. Now, I feel freer to be whatever and whoever I am. When this all started I wanted us to be the biggest band in the world. I thought we were the best. That there was no stopping us. It was a delusion, of course, but it gave us the energy to get as far as we did.”
Does he still have ambitions of musical world domination? “I really don’t. I love the level I’m at. When I was in ‘Walking on Cars’ there were lots of times when I’d be noticed around the place. Lots of people wanted selfies. Now I’m happy flying under the radar. It’s like a sweet spot.”
